- By Vaidika Thapa
- Sat, 06 Jun 2026 06:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Saturday denied reports claiming that he acted as a mediator for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to ask MP Yusuf Pathan to resign from his Lok Sabha seat. He has called the allegations false and urged the media not to spread rumours.
Ganguly Rejects Claim Of Passing Message
In a statement, Ganguly rejected a report in the Bengali Newspaper that suggested he had approached Pathan on behalf of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The report claimed that Pathan was asked to step down so that Banerjee could contest a by-election from Baharampur constituency. It further suggested that Ganguly was asked to carry Banerjee’s message to Pathan.
Ganguly said the claims made about him were false and misleading. He clarified that he had not contacted Pathan regarding any political request or resignation to allow Banerjee to contest a by-election. He called the allegations untrue and not based on facts. Ganguly also requested media organisations not to believe or spread rumours and speculations about his involvement.
What Did Ganguly Say?
“It was alleged that I had contacted Mr Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamta Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and had carried her message that he should step down/resign from his Constitutional post as the elected representative of the aforesaid constituency in order to enable Ms Banerjee to contest the ensuing by-elections from the said constituency. The aforesaid allegations are untrue. I would request the media not to fall prey to rumours and speculations,” a statement from Ganguly read.
"In the circumstances and, in any event, I never approached or contacted Mr. Yusuf Pathan with any such or other request/message. As such, the question of Mr. Yusuf Pathan responding in the manner as alleged in the article does not and cannot arise. I have never been involved in political matters at any stage with any one concerned," the statement added.
Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team, Sourav Ganguly, says, "...It was alleged that I had contacted Mr Yusuf Pathan on behalf of Mamta Banerjee, the former Chief Minister of West Bengal and had carried her message that he should step down/resign from his Constitutional post… pic.twitter.com/0RkRsRhYfo
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2026
TMC's Poor Performance
The report surfaced at a time when there was speculation about how Banerjee could return to electoral politics after the TMC performed poorly in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The party won only 80 seats out of 294, and Banerjee herself lost her Bhabanipur seat to BJP leader and CM Suvendu Adhikari.
Pathan, who was part of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team, became a Member of Parliament (MP) after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He defeated senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury by a margin of around 85,000 votes.